advice on possibly buying this 1998 xj please
Senior Member
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 889
Likes: 2
From: Detroit, MI
Year: 1994
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
I guess I went a bit overboard.
But my idea of a "nice" vehicle...XJ or anything else...is an unmolested straight car with one previous owner, maybe two if they were relatives or friends. Any molesting that DID happen to it ought to be very purposeful and sensible - the kind of thing you'd do yourself. I HATE opening the hood and seeing a K&N Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner filter thing. Hate it. Even worse is a cut up dash.
I put "one owner" in the search box on craigslist and ignore 100% of the dealer ads. Then I wait until what I want comes along. I want the car owned by a grown-up who took good care of it because he paid for it with money that was not easy to come by. The good seller has receipts, fixes wear & tear as it occurs, keeps it clean and changes the oil. There will be grease in the fittings, good rubber on wheels that aren't corroded or rusty and aired up properly, a good spare in ready-to-use condition, the inside the valve cover is clean, and the stone chips on the front were touched up. It shows that the owner cared. That is a great car and worth premium money.
On the other hand, a car that has had six owners in 12 years is a lemon. Or one that has six different things wrong with it...all of the "easy, cheap fixes" says the owner....yet he never fixed them. Why? Because he does not care. He's DONE spending money on this turkey. He wants it GONE. He's just unloading a headache...and it'll be your head that aches if you buy.
But my idea of a "nice" vehicle...XJ or anything else...is an unmolested straight car with one previous owner, maybe two if they were relatives or friends. Any molesting that DID happen to it ought to be very purposeful and sensible - the kind of thing you'd do yourself. I HATE opening the hood and seeing a K&N Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner filter thing. Hate it. Even worse is a cut up dash.
I put "one owner" in the search box on craigslist and ignore 100% of the dealer ads. Then I wait until what I want comes along. I want the car owned by a grown-up who took good care of it because he paid for it with money that was not easy to come by. The good seller has receipts, fixes wear & tear as it occurs, keeps it clean and changes the oil. There will be grease in the fittings, good rubber on wheels that aren't corroded or rusty and aired up properly, a good spare in ready-to-use condition, the inside the valve cover is clean, and the stone chips on the front were touched up. It shows that the owner cared. That is a great car and worth premium money.
On the other hand, a car that has had six owners in 12 years is a lemon. Or one that has six different things wrong with it...all of the "easy, cheap fixes" says the owner....yet he never fixed them. Why? Because he does not care. He's DONE spending money on this turkey. He wants it GONE. He's just unloading a headache...and it'll be your head that aches if you buy.
Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 148
Likes: 0
From: Surrey B.C
Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee
Engine: Inline 6
For every deal that comes along there are umpteen other people that got a "better" deal. I've known a ton of people that paid "half what you paid"...and paid the other half over the next three months fixing all the crap that was wrong...not to mention all the time, effort, and aggrovation. 5700 might be steep but if it was a legit vehicle, you could do worse.
That said, this is not a legit vehicle. The guy has poured money into it for a year...and is "considering" selling it. That rings about a 9.0 on my BS-o-meter. Worse, anybody that thinks an XJ is rare is mentally well-done. Ooo, la la, an AX-15...be still my heart. And, as if that weren't enough, it has the ultra-rare 19 gallon fuel tank. Did I mention seat swap, eight million dollar sound system that he'd consider selling with the vehicle and the rare semi-comotose A/C system. Good grief, the guy wrote War & Peace for a craigslist ad. It reads like one of those late night infomercials. Finally, I trust nobody that uses the word "incredible", "extremely", or "rare" in a car ad. I would not drink beer with them either...and I'll drink beer with nearly anybody, even my horse.
BS, BS, BS, BS. Run for your life.
That said, this is not a legit vehicle. The guy has poured money into it for a year...and is "considering" selling it. That rings about a 9.0 on my BS-o-meter. Worse, anybody that thinks an XJ is rare is mentally well-done. Ooo, la la, an AX-15...be still my heart. And, as if that weren't enough, it has the ultra-rare 19 gallon fuel tank. Did I mention seat swap, eight million dollar sound system that he'd consider selling with the vehicle and the rare semi-comotose A/C system. Good grief, the guy wrote War & Peace for a craigslist ad. It reads like one of those late night infomercials. Finally, I trust nobody that uses the word "incredible", "extremely", or "rare" in a car ad. I would not drink beer with them either...and I'll drink beer with nearly anybody, even my horse.
BS, BS, BS, BS. Run for your life.
2 thumbs up!
Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 148
Likes: 0
From: Surrey B.C
Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee
Engine: Inline 6
^
^ I agree. My jeep had one owner. He had it for 2 years then got a little car. A friend that was working at the dealership took all the Cherokees they had in the lot for a test drive and said that this one had the best power and handling by far. It just had some new parts put on at the dealership but the price was not updated when we paid and drove it off the lot. So we got new parts without the extra cost of buying and installation HAHAHAHAHA. I love this thing. I am always cleaning it and replacing parts an solving problems. but at least i know what has been done and what is due
^ I agree. My jeep had one owner. He had it for 2 years then got a little car. A friend that was working at the dealership took all the Cherokees they had in the lot for a test drive and said that this one had the best power and handling by far. It just had some new parts put on at the dealership but the price was not updated when we paid and drove it off the lot. So we got new parts without the extra cost of buying and installation HAHAHAHAHA. I love this thing. I am always cleaning it and replacing parts an solving problems. but at least i know what has been done and what is due
Senior Member
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 889
Likes: 2
From: Detroit, MI
Year: 1994
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
I've got nothing against cars that need work. I paid 1500 for a 1994 and most of the interior had to be removed and scrubbed...it was filthy. Worse, I thought the engine was about to die from piston slap until yesterday when a mechanic tightened the torque converter bolts and, amazingly, the engine is now quiet and smooth.
On the other hand, it's a Calif. car with zero rust. To a Michiganian, that's a big deal. And it had pretty good care mechanically all it's life. It was a fair deal at 1500. Not killer, fair. And I went into it eyes open - I thought it had way more problems than it turned out. That's a nice change of pace since most of the cars I have bought over the years had MORE problems than I suspected!!
I'm not a new car snob - I love junk. I love bringing a basically good piece of equipment back from the edge of going to the crusher. It is satisfying in some way.
On the other hand, it's a Calif. car with zero rust. To a Michiganian, that's a big deal. And it had pretty good care mechanically all it's life. It was a fair deal at 1500. Not killer, fair. And I went into it eyes open - I thought it had way more problems than it turned out. That's a nice change of pace since most of the cars I have bought over the years had MORE problems than I suspected!!
I'm not a new car snob - I love junk. I love bringing a basically good piece of equipment back from the edge of going to the crusher. It is satisfying in some way.
CF Veteran
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,117
Likes: 3
From: Ohio
Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 stock
Needs a new AC compressor. The AC blows cold for about 10 minutes, then goes warm. Through research, I've found that the magnetos on the compressors on these Jeeps go bad over time. Cost of repair is about $300 if you take it to a shop.
New compressor from dealer is about $250... the AC clutch isn't sold separate. Servicing equipment and parts will cost between $50 and $100. IMHO if you wanted to get it fixed what I would do is install the compressor and put the oil in then get a pro to evacuate and charge the system... Total cost should be under $500... if that is all that is wrong with it.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
MidwestNick
Stock XJ Cherokee Tech. All XJ Non-modified/stock questions go here
10
Feb 28, 2016 02:05 AM
mtoskippy
Stock Grand Cherokee Tech. All ZJ/WJ/WK Non-modified/stock questions go here!
6
Sep 7, 2015 08:56 AM
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
